Articles:

Gerald “Jerry” Alan Avakian

Coon Creek

First Dove Shoot at Rooster Ranch

Second Annual Bay Area Chapter Game Dinner

Joint Event A Big Success

Grand Finale at Rock Springs Ranch

Wild Boar Weekend at Rock Springs Ranch

Gerald “Jerry” Alan Avakian

1953 - 2006

If you ever had the opportunity to shoot with Jerry, or even watch him shoot, you know that he was a world-class shotgun competitor – and a world class wit.  His mischievous and legendary sense of humor wasn’t content to merely follow him around – it often preceded him, announcing his entry in advance.

Jerry’s long career in the wine industry included Carillon Importers, Seagram's Wine Properties, Franciscan Wines and Icon Estates Wines.

Jerry participated in many central coast Side by Side Society activities over the years, but is especially remembered for shooting those high birds at Rock Springs Ranch and providing some wonderful wines for our society events at the ranch.

Throughout nearly two very painful years of battling cancer Jerry never lost his sense of humor. He continued to be upbeat and always ready to help others with their problems. Jerry passed away in August and is sorely missed by his many friends.

Submitted by Nola Range

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Coon Creek

By Larry Shelton

Dr. John Hilt put together a fun shoot at Coon Creek the 19th of August for our Central Valley chapter members. Dave Fjelline had the course in tiptop shape for all of us. Twenty-six shooters participated and five from the San Francisco chapter joined in as well. Three prizes were awarded for shooting. Gene Bayer won the Class AAA with a score of 77, earning a case of shells and beating out Craig Vallely in a tie-breaker station. Class AA was won by John Hilt with a score of 66; Class A was won by Jon Webb with a score of 54. Both gentlemen also each received a case of shells. Club owners George and Joan Ahart made a donation of a silver coin with the words “Coon Creek” inscribed. Jim Gleason won the drawing for that coin. Afterwards we gathered under a shaded patio for lunch and a display of guns. Ed Koelker, who had suffered a farm accident earlier in the year, is looking steadily better. He had some great guns on display. Vern Brinkerhoff's cased Frederic Beesley won the "Featured Gun" spot this time. The gun, manufactured in 1897, received an award for best English gun at the 2001 Gold Medal Concours. Look for Vern and his gun on our photo page of our web site, www.casidebysidesociety.com.. Thanks to all those who made it a wonderful day. George and Joan have an interesting shooting program and are always great hosts for our events.

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First Dove Shoot at Rooster Ranch

By Larry Shelton

Thanks to the efforts of Mal Weaver and Mike Spies, thirty-three society members had an opportunity to shoot dove for the first three days of September at Rooster Ranch. This Central Valley upland game club which had experienced so much flooding this spring is fully operational these days. The club is part of a corporation whose landholdings encompass nearly 9,000 acres and 18 miles of riparian habitat at the confluence of the San Joaquin and Merced rivers. As luck would have it, we did not experience any cool nights leading up to the shoot which can send the birds south. As a result the shoot was fantastic!

On the afternoon prior to the shoot, the group gathered on the club house patio for a display of fine double guns. In particular, Craig Vallely's beautifully restored 16 gauge Sauer was a big hit. The “show and tell” was followed by a steak dinner and chocolate cake for dessert. The next morning’s wake up call came at 4:00am followed by a quick continental breakfast. We then lined up in our cars for the 6 mile drive with our guide, Richard Ensley, field manager at Rooster Ranch and several assistants leading the way. Still before daylight and after some brief instruction, we scattered out in a huge field of natural cover.

Some members ended up in better positions than others, but all had plenty of shooting. One hunter even managed to deplete three boxes of shells that first morning. The results were mixed (some shot easy limits, others only got a few birds). Those without dogs spent a lot of time looking for downed birds. At 10:30am we headed in for a full breakfast of hot cakes, sausage and scrambled eggs. Those who didn't limit in the morning went out that evening and had just as much shooting. The same routine was repeated the second day with the same results. Mal Weaver and John Ratto, went out the third morning and reported that there were still plenty of birds flying! This was the best flyway that I have experienced in years.

Some of the ladies took Saturday afternoon off from the hunt and toured the Hilmar Cheese Co. nearby. Interestingly enough, this company is the largest cheese and whey products manufacturing facility in the world. It receives over 9 million pounds of milk daily and produces over one million pounds of cheese and 350,000 pounds of whey protein and lactose powder each day. That evening we were treated to a sampling of these cheeses as well as appetizers provided by other members.

I’d like to thank the Rooster Ranch staff on behalf of all of us who came for the fun: Judy Frisbie, operations manager, for being so organized, helpful and pleasant; Richard Ensley, field manager, who promised our group the best dove spot and delivered; and lastly, Lorraine Ensley, for doing a fine job cooking for our group. Special thanks also go to the originators of this event - Mal and Mike.. We will be forever grateful.

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Second Annual Bay Area Chapter Game Dinner

By Roger Stuart

On Saturday, June 25, 2006 Bob and Diane Wilson hosted the second annual game dinner at the Peasant and the Pear Restaurant in Danville. Twenty members of the California Side by Side Society and their spouses including new member, Clint Pridmore and his wife, Nancy participated in the festivities. Like last year, members of the Bay Area Chapter contributed the entrée – pheasant, chukar and dove. Under the watchful eye of Chef Rodney Worth, the kitchen prepared each type of game with delectable results. The evening began with cocktails and an assortment of delicious hors d’œuvres, including beer batter asparagus with garlic lemon aioli and grilled pork skewers with a roasted peach barbecue glaze. All who attended agreed that it was a memorable evening and a wonderful tradition to maintain in years to come. We thank all who were involved in making it a success.

Menu

Salad of baby greens with candied walnuts, gorgonzola and a creamy balsamic vinaigrette

Citrus-roasted pheasant and dove breasts, braised pheasant legs and thighs and maple-balsamic glazed chukar all served with a spicy poached pear sauce or a black pepper game sauce

Sautéed French green beans and honey polenta

Chocolate decadence cake topped with a pinot noir-chocolate reduction sauce

Click here to visit the 2006 Game Dinner Photo album!

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Joint Event A Big Success

By Bob Devlin

Bay Area Chapter President 

A jointly-sponsored California Side By Side Society and L. C. Smith Collectors Association event was held Saturday, June 17, 2006 at Coyote Valley Sporting Clays in Morgan Hill. The purpose of the event was a friendly competition between domestic and European manufactured shotguns. Thirty five shooters turned out to compete in seventy-five rounds of clays to qualify for an Annie Oakley style elimination round. Sixteen brought American-made shotguns and the rest brought imports. In addition, eight lady shooters joined us to participate in a separate round of fifty clays at the five stand.

We assembled at 8:30 am for coffee and pastries before dividing up into groups of five. The course consisted of six sporting clays stations with fifty clays and one wobble trap with twenty-five clays. After more than two hours of qualifying, we arrived at the top five shooters for each group. Following a briefing of the rules, the first group then moved to the five stand for the Annie Oakley style shoot-off. We witnessed a lively competition with the shooters rotating the calls for the variety of clays which were released from the five stations. Eventually a winner emerged - Dave Slade - shooting a 12 gauge A.H. Fox.

With the advantage of having observed the first round, the top five shooters using imported guns stepped up to face a tight elimination round. Bob Shimmon won this round with a 12 gauge Issiac Hollis & Sons. A final contest between Dave and Bob was needed to determine the overall winner. It lasted only a few minutes and four or five clay station calls. To the great cheers of the assembled audience, Bob Shimmon became the winner.

We then retired to the welcomed shade of the Oak Grove picnic area where our de luxe barbeque buffet lunch was being served with cold beer and wine offered once the shooting was completed.  A number of tables featured a show and tell exhibit of members’ side by side shot guns including a special display of various grades of L. C. Smiths. The L. C. Smith Collectors Association’s Executive Director Frank Finch even journeyed from New Jersey to oversee the exhibit.

The top qualifiers for the shoot-off were:

Winners

The above listed participants received silver engraved awards or boxes of 12 gauge shells. The ten qualifiers received magnetic lapel pins with decorative side by side shell heads provided by society president, Marshall Stevens.

A big thank you goes to members who either donated their services or sponsored portions of the event:  John Shanafelt, Marshall Stevens, Steve Kesselring, Frank Finch, Alexandra King, Aimee Fowler and Betsy and Bob Devlin.  We thank Tom Ebert and his associates at Coyote Valley for the excellent venue for our event. Thanks also to all who participated. We look forward to increasing the participation of members with domestic guns in 2007. This would ensure a successful sub-event featuring these guns.

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Grand Finale at Rock Springs Ranch

On March 17, 2006, thirteen couples of the California Side by Side Society met for the seventh annual couples weekend at Rock Springs Ranch, an Orvis endorsed wingshooting destination. The couples included the Sangers, Stevens, Devlins, Kesselrings, Stuarts (all society officers/directors), the Dawsons, Rothmans, Wulfmeyers, Stewarts, Lundys, Bareilles, Lakes and our hosts, the Ranges. The ranch owner Carol Casey and her husband Lyman were also present. Sadly it was also the final weekend for Rock Springs Ranch as a private hunting preserve and our society felt honored to have been the last group designated to stay at the ranch. Rock Springs Ranch, encompassing 19,000 acres in central California, has been sold and closed its doors on March 20. Given that fact, every quail, chukar and pheasant in the holding pens were released on Saturday and Sunday and the barrels of some member guns are still hot!

The gun display on Friday night resembled a mini “Gold Medal Concours” with individual members displaying their oldest, best and favorite guns. On Sunday morning before breakfast, Roger Lake gave a talk on the history of the British shotgun.

In a ceremony on Saturday night preceding dinner, Ken and Nola Range, the husband and wife team who have hosted us over the years, were presented with tokens of our appreciation. They received an engraved wine cooler and a matching pair of Barbour coats in anticipation of the weather on the Oregon coast where they plan to retire. Carol and Lyman Casey were presented with a fine bottle of champagne and a photo album of the ranch displaying various activities since it opened as a private hunting lodge in 1994. Both Carol and Nola were given flowers.

The weekend would not have been complete without a little friendly competition between the men and the women and between couples in both shooting activities and dress, courtesy of Marshall Stevens. For shooting the best women’s score went to Jeannie Kesselring with second to Suzanne Lake and third to Cody Dawson (the Dawsons college age daughter). Best men’s score was awarded to Roger Sanger. The Kesselrings won the award for best shooting as a couple. Also presented were best dressed categories from the previous Continental Pheasant Shoot on February 18^th with Ray Stewart winning for “Best Scottish Dress” in his kilts. “Best British Dress” went to Roger Sanger for his tweed breeks, shooting jacket and St. Hubertus cape. Roger Stuart, who had the courage to wear his kilt while shooting in cold temperatures, won the O.B.B (Order of the Blue Buns).

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. This weekend at Rock Springs Ranch was the most successful couples event ever. It allowed many spouses to feel comfortable shooting for the first time, thanks to the great instruction of Ken Range and his guides. For others just seeing the dogs work was an enriching experience.

We will miss this lovely place in the San Benito River valley where a lot of us hold fond memories of hunting with family, friends, and dogs. We extend a big thank you to Ken and Nola, Carol and Lyman as well as all the guides, chefs, wait staff, housekeeping staff, bird cleaning staff and ranch staff. We wish you well in the future. We thank you for the past.

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Wild Boar Weekend at Rock Springs Ranch

By Roger Sanger, Founder and Past President

The weather may have been cold but the hunters were prepared for our annual Wild Boar Hunt at Rock Springs Ranch March 3-5, 2006. Members Michael and Sheila Bonsignore, Steve Helsley, Dan Mayers, Roger Sanger and Ray Stewart stalked wild boar on the green slopes of the snow capped Gabilan Mountains east of the Salinas Valley in central California. Both the quarry itself and the use of vintage rifles with iron sights contributed to the challenge of the hunt. As I sit here writing, I’m happy to report that a wild pig ham marinated for the last several days has just come out of the oven for our dinner. Vintage Syrah from a California winery will compliment the meal.

Ken Range and his guides led the stalks with each hunter having his own guide and vehicle. We hunted both at dawn and at dusk, trying to surprise the packs of wild Russian boar that have roamed these hills since being introduced by William Randolph Hearst in the last century.

Dan Mayers, our web site director, shot his first wild pig, using a Purdey 450 BPE single shot rifle made in 1875. The Purdey belongs to his father-in-law, Steve Helsley. Not to be upstaged, Steve used a Sharps single shot cap and ball breech loader converted to center fire breech loader .45-70 made in 1863. Other members had hunted boar here successfully in the past, but for Dan this first time experience was a real treat.

When not hunting boar, the group was able to shoot released birds. In fact one member, Jack Wulfmayer came to Rock Springs Ranch just for that. The group also had the opportunity to shoot sporting clays and practice at the rifle range.

As usual, our hosts, Ken and Nola Range and their entire staff made the weekend a very memorable one

P.S. The ham was delicious!

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